Private nonprofit · University
Pacific University
Forest Grove, Oregon · Large suburb
- 89.6%
- Admit rate
- $35,273
- Avg net price
- 67%
- Graduation rate
- $60,583
- Median earnings
Pacific University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Forest Grove, Oregon (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,516 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Pacific University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 89.6%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 900–1240
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.13
Enter a test score to see where you land against Pacific University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Pacific University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, 25 miles (40 km) west of Portland, within the Tualatin Valley. In 1841, Alvin T. and Abigail Smith were among the earliest to use the Oregon Trail and settled on what was first known as West Tualatin Plain. They overwintered with Henry Harmon Spalding, arriving in what is now Forest Grove in the fall. There are 12 properties individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and two historic districts: the 18-block Clark Historic District with homes dating as far back as 1854 (and several dozen pre-1900) and the Painter's Woods Historic District. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 21 miles to Portland, OR
- To the ocean
- 38 miles
- Nearest airport
- 25 miles to Portland (PDX) · major hub
How Pacific University compares
More selective than 25% · #15 most selective of 23 in Oregon
Higher than 27%
Higher than 72% · #9 of 22 in Oregon
Higher than 61%
Higher than 69% · #10 of 24 in Oregon
Cheaper than 9% · #19 cheapest of 21 in Oregon
Lower than 51%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 50%
Percentiles compare Pacific University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Oregon.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,51645%
- Graduate1,83855%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women91961%
- Men59739%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White42%
- Black2.7%
- Hispanic20%
- Asian13%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,516
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,838
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 29%
- Students over 25
- 8%
- Median family income
- $64,458
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $82,161
- Endowment
- $64,811,367
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 400 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Oregon39%
- Other U.S. states61%
- International0.7%
A national draw — only 39% of first-years come from Oregon; 61% arrive from other states.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 89.6%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 900–1240
- SAT average
- 1090
- SAT reading
- 480–630
- SAT math
- 420–610
- ACT composite
- 18–29
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.13
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $56,374
- Room & board
- $15,620
- Books & supplies
- $1,050
- Total cost of attendance
- $72,374
- Average net price
- $35,273
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 67%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 55%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,936
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,583
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,223
- Students with federal loans
- 81%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 71%
About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,048
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 69%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,290
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,768
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Northwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 721 (451 men · 270 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (15)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 10
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,427 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$29,844/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Pacific University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $32,593. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 392 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $60,583
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,223
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,915 (15%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 33°F
- Annual rain
- 46.7″
- Annual snow
- 2.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Forest Grove, OR US station (0.4 mi from campus).
What Pacific University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Pacific University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pacific University side by side →
Saint Martin's University
Lacey, Washington · Small city · 45 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 1,158
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1093
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $62k
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, Virginia · Large suburb · 15 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 1,639
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1095
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $58k
Hawaii Pacific University
Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · < 1 mi to Honolulu
- Students
- 2,392
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1111
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $60k
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas, Texas · Large city · 10 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 2,403
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $57k
The College of Saint Scholastica
Duluth, Minnesota · Small city · 2 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 1,765
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $66k
Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 17 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,067
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $67k
Colleges near Pacific University
Northwest College-Beaverton
Beaverton, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 37 students
George Fox University
Newberg, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,699 students
Summit Salon Academy-Portland
Tigard, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
University of Portland
Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,957 students
Portland Community College
Portland, OR · Public · Associate · 19,531 students
Northwest College-Tualatin
Tualatin, OR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 35 students
Portland Actors Conservatory
Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 11 students
Portland State University
Portland, OR · Public · Bachelor's · 13,182 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












